A Study in Scarlet
by loserswin2
Summary: Mirajane wonders if this Jellal person knows how much of hold he has over the mighty Titania's heart. Three-shot. Contains Mirajane/Erza friendship and Jerza. Basically the Jerza relationship through Mirajane's POV.
1. The eyes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

Mirajane doesn't exactly remember when or why she decided to become the resident matchmaker. She supposes it sort of began after Lisanna's death. She had hoped seeing the happiness and love of a matched couple would help ease the pain that Lisanna's death had left in her heart.

So she began her little projects and with each success, the hole in her heart would slowly fill. She knew it would never be completely filled but it helped dull the ache. Her latest project, Bisca and Alzack, was coming along swimmingly. She didn't even have to do much. All she had to do was get them to confess to each other. (The couples that already knew their feelings for each other were the easy ones. The couples that wouldn't even acknowledge those feelings were the challenge. And her guild mates usually fit in the latter category.)

Of all the people in the guild, the one person she wanted to match make was Erza. Erza was the _ultimate_ challenge.

It was strange. Before, she would have done anything to pummel Erza. But now, if she was going to be honest, she considered Erza as one of her closest friends.

She guessed her relationship with Erza shifted from rivals to friendship when she ate that slice of strawberry cake.

-A Study in Scarlet-

It's been a month since Lisanna's death. Mirajane and Elfman haven't gone on missions since then. They stay in the guild, at the table where the three siblings would always congregate. If Mirajane looked hard enough, she could swear she can see Lisanna's smiling face across the table.

Today, it's just Mirajane at the table. Natsu and Gray have dragged Elfman to their table, where Cana sits with her cards spread out and reading Elfman's fortune. She smiled. If Natsu and Grey weren't so afraid of her, she probably would have been dragged over too.

_Plunk._

Mirajane looked down at where the sound came from. There's a plate of strawberry cake placed in front her. A plate of Erza's strawberry cake. A plate of the _last_ of Erza's strawberry cake.

Mirajane whirled around to catch a glimpse of Erza's braided scarlet hair as she climbed the steps to the second floor. With Mirajane out of commission, the S-class missions have piled up. Erza had been going on more missions now. Mystogan was always gone anyway and Laxus was too preoccupied with the Raijinshuu so she knew that Erza was the one taking care of Mirajane's potential jobs.

She turned back to the cake and picked up the fork. She wasn't as fond of the sweet dessert as Erza. Nevertheless, she appreciated the gesture. Erza wasn't one to use words to comfort and Mirajane learned to read her actions if she wanted to know what Erza was really feeling. Erza giving Mirajane the last slice of her beloved cake showed how much Erza cared, even though they were rivals, and a reminder that Mirajane wasn't alone in this.

She took a bite of the sugary confection and hummed in contentment. As she polished off the cake, Erza came down the stairs, a flyer clutched in her hand. Mirajane waved at her as she headed towards the door, offering a smile as a sign of thanks. Erza smiled in return and left, already on her next mission. No one else seemed to notice their exchange. No one seemed to notice that Erza left at all, which Mirajane thought was quite strange. Usually Natsu or Gray would be asking for a brawl when Erza came back.

Now that she thought about it, did Erza have anyone she was close to? Someone to wish her a safe journey and to welcome her back? Natsu and Gray didn't count because they were too afraid of her and were too preoccupied with their rivalry. Cana had her booze. Levy had Jet and Droy. At least she had Elfman. But it seemed that Erza didn't have anyone. She was like Mystogan in that respect. Both choosing to keep to themselves. It was no use to befriend Mystogan, especially when he was always putting everyone to sleep whenever he came back from a job. Erza had her armor, so even though she hung out on the first floor with everyone else, she still guarded her heart.

Mirajane remembered the fire in Erza's eyes whenever they fought. Fire in an opponent's eyes were the fuel to Mirajane's strength. It filled her with adrenaline and the anticipation of an interesting fight. But in Erza's eyes, she noted, there was also a sadness, lingering behind the fire. It used to irritate her so much. She used to mistake that sadness as pity when it was obviously more than that.

_I wonder if it's the same as me_, mused Mirajane. _If it's the type of sadness that even strawberry cake can't fix_.

-A Study in Scarlet-

It's been a year since Lisanna's death and Makarov was kind enough to allow her to stay, even though she was no longer an S-class mage. She played bartender and would occasionally model for _Sorcerer Magazine_. She became the face of Fairy Tail while the exploits of Erza, Laxus, and Mystogan were quickly making Fairy Tail be known as the most powerful guild in Fiore.

Mirajane was cleaning up Makarov's office while Makarov was out at another meeting between the guild masters. She went to straighten his desk, piled high with documents, when the latest issue of _Sorcerer Magazine_ caught her eye.

_Master usually doesn't read this,_ thought Mirajane. _He'd always say it was mostly for the young and none of the articles interested him. Well, unless they included photos of pretty young ladies_.

She flipped it open and a note fell out. She picked up the note and written in what she was sure was Mystogan's handwriting were the words, "Don't show Erza."

_Why?_ Mirajane was pretty sure Erza never showed any interest in the magazine either. Did they publish an article that slandered the Titania? That would make sense since Master instructed her to hide the latest issue from Erza before he left for his meeting. Mirajane looked at the page and noted the article didn't mention Erza at all. It was an article about the youngest mage to become one of the Ten Wizard Saints and a member of the Magic Council. Some fellow called Siegrain. The accompanying picture depicted a handsome young man with blue hair and an intricate deep red tattoo surrounding his right eye. She wondered how this pertained to Erza.

Mirajane gasped. Was Mystogan afraid that Erza would be attracted to Siegrain because he was _jealous_? Her matchmaking skills were tingling. She did have the slight hunch that Mystogan might be attracted to Erza and was too afraid to confront her about his feelings. He always made sure to go on missions whenever Erza had a prolonged stay at the guild and would usually stay for a while at the guild when Erza was on a mission. She remembered an occasion when Mystogan used his usual sleep spell on everyone and from what she remembered before she fell asleep was Erza being in the middle of the room. But when she woke up, she saw that Erza was not getting up from the floor but was getting up from a nearby table. The confused look on Erza's face surely matched her own. He must have placed her there while he was getting his new job.

Mirajane smiled and went back to tidying up Makarov's desk, her mind filled with ideas on how to get Mystogan and Erza together. She would need to enlist Laxus for help as he was the only one Mystogan seemed to interact the most. She was so excited at the idea of matching them together, two S-class mages of Fairy Tail.

Finished with the cleaning, Mirajane skipped out of the office, humming a light tune. If she could match Erza with someone, no one would question her matchmaking skills. She would be Mirajane Strauss, Matchmaker Extraordinaire.

_Just you wait, Erza. He's going to take away your sadness. I'm sure of it._

_-_A Study in Scarlet-

"So Erza, how was your last mission? It's been quite awhile since I last saw you."

"The mission was a bit troublesome, Mira. I had to fight some knights that were terrorizing this village near Hargeon."

"Oh? How many knights were there?"

"About 100. But it wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

They shared a chuckle. Mirajane and Erza were on their way to deliver some documents to Makarov. Technically, Makarov had only asked Mirajane to come. Erza just happened to come back from her mission and Mirajane wanted some company; also, Erza had some of the many handwritten letters of apology for the destruction of cities caused by Fairy Tail. It really had been quite awhile since she and Erza talked. Erza now no longer kept her hair in a braid, instead keeping it loose and flowing down her back. Mirajane had rather liked this new look and told her so a few weeks back when she first started sporting the new hairstyle.

"Where is Master again?" Erza looked left and right, hoping to catch a glimpse of their guild master. Mirajane guessed that Erza was eager to get back to the guild for some strawberry cake. She had baked one this morning, knowing that Erza was due back soon.

"He's outside Kardia Cathedral with a member of the Magic Council. I think they might be talking about some of the…damage that's being caused by Fairy Tail." They both gave a slight grimace, remembering the damage the guild hall used to suffer when they had their fights.

"It's a good thing I have these letters then. It will save us a trip to Era."

"Oh, there he is." Mirajane pointed to the two figures under the tree. The shorter figure was clearly Master Makarov, his silhouette being familiar to the two. The other figure, Mirajane could make out his blue hair and recognized the man as being Siegrain. She had met the man on several occasions. Strangely enough, he would visit the guild hall, which was a rare thing for the Council to do but Makarov had warned he might be doing this to keep Fairy Tail in line. She always noticed that his eyes would always roam around the guild, looking at everyone as if he was looking for a specific person. It seemed whoever he was looking for was never there.

"Master! I have the doc—"

"You!" Mirajane watched as Erza flew towards Siegrain, her sword raised in the air ready to strike.

"Erza! What are you doing?" Mirajane and Makarov cried. Makarov had stopped Erza from striking Siegrain with his arm. Siegrain had only looked calmly at the spectacle and Mirajane was pretty sure that he had a slight smirk on his face. Mirajane had reached to where the three of them, prepared to help Makarov restrain Erza, if necessary. She looked over at Erza's face and was shocked at the amount of rage she saw there. She didn't think she had ever seen Erza look so _angry_ before.

"Erza Scarlet." Siegrain said as if her name was made of a sweet nectar given by the gods, emphasizing her last name which only seemed to irritate Erza further. Her hand was clenched around the handle of her sword, whose blade was still being held by Makarov. "I'm not the person you think I am. I'm Jellal's older twin brother. I would have thought he told you." _Who's Jellal?_

His explanation seemed to pacify Erza and she withdrew her sword. Mirajane was still tense and she could see that Makarov was as well. The two of them stood close by, wary of what Erza might do next.

"I apologize for my actions." She bowed her head. "You may punish me as you see fit."

Siegrain chuckled. "There's no need for that. Though," he turned to Makarov, "May I borrow her for a few moments? There is something I wish to speak to her about." Makarov nodded his approval and Siegrain gestured for Erza to follow him. The two of them had walked further away until they disappeared behind the cathedral.

"Master, was that a good idea, letting Erza go with him? I know he's a powerful mage but, I've never seen Erza so angry. I'm worried she might try something."

"She won't do anything. I don't know if you noticed…," Makarov whispered his next statement. "He didn't even make a move to dodge the attack." Mirajane thought back to what had transpired moments ago. Makarov was right. Siegrain didn't try to dodge, it was like he expected Erza to attack him.

"Do you know who he was talking about? Jellal?"

Makarov shook his head. "It could be someone Erza knew before she joined Fairy Tail." They both quieted as they remembered what Erza used to be like, closed off from everyone. She was still closed off, but at least she had opened up a bit since then.

They stood there for a few more moments before Siegrain and Erza returned. Siegrain looked smug while Erza was looking at the ground.

"Well, Makarov, I need to head back to Era. Please tell your guild not to destroy so much property the next time they're on a job."

"Of course. I'll be sure to tell my brats that. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Siegrain nodded at Mirajane. He looked at Erza, who was still looking at the ground. "Remember what we talked about, Erza." He turned away and started walking towards the train station.

Makarov mentioned that he had to go see someone and was soon on his way, patting Erza's arm before leaving. Once he was out of earshot, Mirajane motioned to Erza to follow her back to the guild. They were halfway to the guild when Mirajane couldn't take the silence anymore. She had to know.

"Erza?" Erza finally looked up to meet Mirajane's gaze. "Who's Jellal?"

Erza seemed to freeze up before stuttering, "H-he's an old friend. From before I came to Fairy Tail. We didn't leave on good terms, that's why I attacked Siegrain. They're exactly the same" Her voice trailed off.

They continued walking until Mirajane saw that Erza had stopped. She turned around and opened her mouth to ask what was wrong before being cut off by Erza.

"Mira…" Erza was once again looking at the ground, her bangs covering her eyes. "Please don't mention what happened today to anyone." She looked up, her left eye shining with unshed tears. "Please." Erza whispered with a low voice that Mirajane struggled to hear.

Mirajane smiled softly. "Of course, Erza." Mirajane smiled brightly. "Now, let's get back. I baked a cake for you."

-A Study in Scarlet-

After their encounter with Siegrain, Erza took on more missions, barely resting at the guild. Not even the destruction caused by Natsu and Gray's daily fights can convince Erza to stay for more than a day.

Mirajane had momentarily paused her pursuit in matchmaking Erza. After she told Laxus her idea of Mystogan's possible feelings for Erza, he loudly laughed at her. He said that Mystogan was not harboring hidden feelings for his guild mate.

Mirajane questioned Laxus why he thought that was the case and Laxus replied, "Trust me. I know."

She brought up the incident where Mystogan had placed Erza at the table and Laxus had countered, "He was probably being nice." She had pouted at that logic, because Laxus did have a point. Laxus then told her that now probably wasn't the time to be matchmaking Erza, judging by the way Erza was behaving whenever she got back to the guild.

Yajima had stopped by for a visit, giving his usual warning to Makarov to keep an eye on his guild's destructive habits. Yajima mentioned that Fairy Tail was being mentioned a lot by the Council and soon his support wouldn't be enough to stop the Council from doing whatever they wanted to Fairy Tail. He said that, surprisingly, Siegrain had been giving his support for Fairy Tail. When Makarov hadn't said anything in reply, Mirajane realized that only and she and Makarov knew why Siegrain was being so helpful.

Whatever he told Erza at the cathedral that day, it couldn't have been good. He would occasionally send letters addressed to Erza. Mirajane was always there whenever Erza opened them, and she saw how tightly the scarlet-haired woman clenched the pieces of paper. Mirajane wasn't surprised when Erza would take the letters and shred them before even looking at them. She wondered about their relationship. Clearly, Siegrain was doing them a favor by placating the Council whenever Fairy Tail destroyed another town. But whatever he was having Erza do in return, it was something that pained her.

Mirajane could remember how distraught Erza had looked when she pleaded with Mira not to tell anyone what had transpired that day at the cathedral. And Mirajane would keep her word. She was sure it had something to do with Jellal, it was the only person that seemed to tie Erza to Siegrain. And she couldn't help but wonder what had happened between them, Erza and Jellal.

She wondered if this Jellal person even knew how strong of a hold he has over the mighty Titania's heart.

-A Study in Scarlet-

A/N: This is a three-shot in Mirajane's POV that deals with the Erza/Jellal relationship and how it progresses through the series. This chapter was mostly about events that happened pre-canon but I tried to stick as close as I could to canon. This chapter was all about what Mirajane sees on Erza's side, mainly Erza's reactions and what not. The next chapter will be dialogue heavy. I don't know when I'll be able to post the next chapter but everything has been outlined so this story will be finished. Please review if you can, I would love to get some feedback.


	2. are the window

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.**

-A Study in Scarlet-

When Lucy Heartfilia joined Fairy Tail, Mirajane couldn't have been happier. First, because this meant she had a new person to matchmake and she simply couldn't contain herself over all the possibilities. And second, Lucy was quite possibly the only other person in the guild that Mirajane would ask to help her on the Erza endeavor. She knew that Lucy would fit right in at Fairy Tail the moment she came in. She knew that Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, and Happy were the strongest team in Fairy Tail not because of their physical strength, but because of how far they would go for each teammate, their nakama.

She didn't recruit Lucy for her project until after the incident with Phantom Lord. She knew Lucy looked up to Erza considering how she couldn't stop gushing about how amazing Erza had looked fighting the members of Eisenwald. And she knew Lucy has a kind heart and she knew how joyful she was that she had found a family in Fairy Tail. So she waited until Lucy returned from her trip back home to spring the question.

"Welcome back Lucy!"

"Hi Mira! I'm so glad to be back." Lucy sat at the bar. Mira could see that Gray, Natsu, and Erza had gone to help the others with the rest of the construction. She had seen the plans for the new guild and although she missed the old guild, she couldn't wait for the new guild to be finished to make new memories with her guild mates. She really felt the whole fight with Phantom Lord had strengthened the bond between all of them.

"Oh? Was speaking to your father that bad?" She figured it would have been. She was furious when she had heard about the lengths that Lucy's father had taken to make her return home.

Lucy laid her head on the counter, clearly looking tired. "N-not really. I've been meaning to say those things to my father for quite a long time. I guess it just took having a guild attack us to make me realize that my talk with my father was long overdue."

Mirajane patted Lucy on the shoulder and went back to cleaning some glasses behind the bar.

"Mira?" Lucy mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"How…how can you all still want me in your guild? After everything that's happened."

Mirajane frowned at the question. Did she still not see it? "Lucy, look at me." Mirajane waited until Lucy had lifted her head to look at her. She pointed to Lucy's right hand. "You see that mark?" Lucy nodded. "It means you're a member of Fairy Tail. You're our nakama. And us Fairy Tail mages would do anything for our nakama, no matter what. Please don't ever forget that." Lucy quickly wiped away the tears that escaped. Mirajane softly smiled. Lucy probably hadn't felt what it was like to be in a family since her mother's death.

"Thank you. I know that's probably not enough. I don't know how I can ever repay you guys." Lucy gave a wobbly smile.

Mira was about to reply with, "You don't have to repay us. Just give us your smile." But this was her chance to finally gain an accomplice! So she said, "I don't know about the others but there is something you can do for me…"

"Anything, Mira! Just name it and I'll try my best." Lucy eagerly leaned in.

"Help me match Erza with someone!" Mirajane clasped her hands under her chin with a wide grin on her face. Lucy looked blankly at Mirajane. Several minutes passed before Lucy opened her mouth.

"…Gray warned me about this." Lucy muttered under her breath. "W-why?" Mirajane's face fell. Lucy began waving her hands around in alarm. "I meant why do you need my help?"

Mirajane put a finger on her chin. "Well, you guys are a team now. I have to be here at the guild so I won't be able to see who you guys meet during missions. And Erza's not the type to tell me about guys that she comes across during the missions unless they happen to be someone she had to beat up. I want you to be my eyes during the mission and see if there are any possible match-ups." Mirajane's eyes had a mad twinkle in them and if Lucy knew any better, she should probably be backing away right now. It's a good thing that Lucy didn't.

Lucy nodded. "Okay, Mira. You can count on me." Lucy gave a wide grin, looking very excited about the idea now. "Is Erza the only one you haven't match-made yet?"

"Not really. There are others who I haven't match-made. But Erza's a special case."

"How?"

"You mean you haven't noticed it?" Lucy shook her head. "You haven't seen how sad Erza is?"

"Sad?!" Lucy whirled her head to look at Erza, who was scolding at Natsu and Gray. "She looks angry right now. But I don't think I've ever seen Erza sad before." Lucy turned back to face Mirajane.

"Give it time. I'm pretty sure you'll be going on more missions together. Maybe you'll see then." Mirajane looked back to where Erza was, who was returning to the construction work. Natsu and Gray were sporting matching bumps on their heads. Mirajane gave a sad smile. "Maybe you'll see the sadness she hides in her armor."

-A Study in Scarlet-

"Mira?"

Mirajane turned around to find Lucy sitting dejectedly at one of the bar stools. She quickly became worried. They had just returned from the Tower of Heaven. From what she had heard from the Master, it had been an emotionally draining experience, especially for Erza. She didn't hear the whole story because the Master didn't know all the details either.

"Yes, Lucy? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Most of my wounds are healed. It's just…," Lucy trailed off and looked off into the distance. "You're pretty close to Erza, right?"

Mirajane didn't know how to reply. She opened and closed her mouth several times, struggling to find the best way to answer the question. "I suppose so. But I do think Laxus might know her a little bit better than me. She was in the guild before I was and they would sometimes cross paths during missions." Lucy didn't really know how Mirajane used to be a S-class mage and she hoped for Lucy's sake that she never did.

"Laxus isn't here so I can't ask him. And I don't think we'll get along anyway." She remembered how he had acted during the Phantom Lord incident and Mirajane figured that Lucy was probably right. Lucy took a deep breath. "What…do you know about Erza's past?"

Mirajane froze. She didn't really know anything about Erza's past. No one did. "Nothing. Erza never really talked about her past."

"So…she never mentioned someone named Jellal?" A flash of Erza's anguished face appeared in Mirajane's mind.

"Once. She mentioned he was an old friend."

Lucy smiled sadly. "I suppose that's right." Lucy looked over her shoulder to where Gray and Natsu were, and when she looked back at Mirajane, she had a determined look on her face. "I can't talk about this with Gray or Natsu. They wouldn't understand. And I _especially _can't talk about this with Erza."

"What is it?" Mirajane really was curious about what Lucy wanted to say, particularly if it pertained to what had happened to Erza on the mission. Erza still had not shown up at the guild.

"We were at the resort Loke had given us tickets to when we were cornered by Erza's former nakama in the casino. They took her and Happy to this island where the Tower of Heaven was located. Do you remember Juvia?" Mirajane nodded, she was the one who had given Juvia her guild stamp and welcomed her to the guild. "We met her at the casino and she helped us sneak into the tower. But it didn't really matter because they practically invited us in."

"Who were Erza's former nakama?"

"Simon, Wally, Shou, Millianna,…and Jellal." Mirajane thought back to all the times she talked with Erza, but she couldn't recall her ever bringing them up. The only time Erza had ever mentioned Jellal was that day at the cathedral with Siegrain.

"Master mentioned that the Tower of Heaven was part of the R-system meant to revive Zeref."

Lucy nodded. "That's what Erza told us. She escaped from wherever they were holding her and found us. She told us to leave but we couldn't leave her behind. So she told us about her past as a child slave in the tower and how she met the others. She said Jellal used to be really kind and she really looked up to him. But on the day that she led a slave revolt, he turned…evil." That would certainly explain Erza's reaction to Siegrain if her last memory of Jellal was one where he was evil.

"What I don't understand was why did Erza's nakama turn on her?"

"Apparently Jellal had tricked them into believing that Erza had went mad with power and left them all behind. And they began building the tower for the next eight years. Jellal threatened Erza to leave and told her that if she ever mentioned what was happening on the island, he would kill her friends."

"So they all believed him?"

"No. There was one who pretended to follow Jellal. Simon was waiting all this time for Erza to come back."

Mirajane perked up. "And where's Simon?" Maybe Erza could be paired with him.

Lucy was quiet. "He died protecting Erza and Natsu from Jellal's attack." Mirajane's face fell. How awful. No wonder Erza hadn't been at the guild yet. "Gray, Juvia, and I were injured from our fights with Trinity Raven and we were leaving on a boat with Millianna, Wally, and Shou. They finally believed that Jellal had tricked them. Simon was taking Natsu to where Erza and Jellal were fighting. Natsu told me that he didn't want to interfere at first, since it was Erza's fight. And he got mad at Simon for doubting Erza's abilities. But Simon said it wasn't that he was doubting Erza's abilities, he was doubting whether she could even go through with destroying Jellal. He said even though it seems they were destined to fight and that their fates had been intertwined for the past eight years, Erza could never bring herself to hate him and still wished to save him."

"That sounds like Erza, always wanting to save her friends." Erza had looked so angry that day at the cathedral. Was she angry at Jellal? Or was she angry that she hadn't done anything to save her friends, to save him?

Lucy hummed her agreement. "Jellal was going to sacrifice Erza to complete the R-system. The Council had shot Etherion at the tower, but the tower just harnessed the magical power. It turned out that Siegrain, that council member, was actually Jellal's thought projection and he'd been fooling the council all this time. He was the one who proposed firing Etherion." Lucy took a sip of the milkshake that Mirajane had placed in front of her.

Mirajane's mind reeled from the revelation. Siegrain was Jellal all this time? So he was basically keeping tabs on Erza all these years? Erza probably didn't take too kindly that she was actually being provoked by Jellal every time a letter from the council came for her.

"Erza was defeated and that was when Natsu came. Simon stepped in when Jellal was going to strike Erza, who was protecting Natsu. I guess she thought since she was the sacrifice, she wouldn't be harmed. But the tower was being destroyed and Jellal said something about building a new tower and finding a new sacrifice. So Simon took the blow." Lucy traced her finger along the countertop. "I think…Simon was in love with Erza. But I don't think she ever noticed it."

"Do you think she was in love with Jellal?"

Lucy bit her lip before responding. "Possibly, when they were younger. You should have heard her talk about him when they were younger. She sounded so…happy…and she talked about him like he was the most wonderful person in the world."

"It must have been heartbreaking for her when he turned evil."

"Yeah, she thinks he was under the influence of Zeref and it wasn't really him doing all those things. I guess I believe that. He did save her in the end."

Mirajane gave Lucy a confused look. "He did what?"

"Erza said she remembered going to absorb the Etherion but when she woke up, she was on the beach, safe, with us. She told me later that she thinks Jellal absorbed the Etherion in her place and redirected it to the sky. I didn't believe her at first but it was the only explanation that made sense. And Erza would know, I think. She knew him best."

Mirajane and Lucy sat in silence, the former absentmindedly cleaning some glasses and the latter playing with the straw in her milkshake. Jellal was probably dead, no one could have survived absorbing the Etherion. Poor Erza, losing two friends, even though one of those friends caused the death of the other.

"How do you think Erza is, right now?"

"She was fine when we left the resort. She's probably just confused with her feelings right now."

There was a question that Mirajane had to ask. "Do you think she forgives him… for everything he's done?"

Lucy pushed back from the bar, finished with her milkshake, and stretched. "If it were me, I don't think I could forgive him. Or at the very least, it would take a long time for me to forgive him. But if it's Erza," Lucy gave a melancholic smile, "I think she forgave him a long time ago."

-A Study in Scarlet-

"Yo, Mira."

Mirajane didn't turn around from what she was doing. She knew Laxus was behind her, leaning on the doorway, with his bag on his back. Master had told her that he was expelling Laxus from the guild. She knew how much this would hurt Master. He had already expelled his son and now he was expelling his grandson.

"I'm—" Laxus didn't need to continue. She knew what he was trying to say. Either way, she was still furious at Laxus for what he had done. He knew this as well. He continued talking as if she had acknowledged his presence and his apology.

"Before I fought with Natsu and Gajeel at the Cathedral, I fought with Mystogan for a while, to see which one of us was stronger. We never got our answer because Erza and Natsu came in. Mystogan let his guard down once he saw Erza and I blasted his mask off." Mira perked up. First, because that means the three of them got to see Mystogan's face and second, because this wasn't the first time that Mystogan had reacted strangely around Erza.

"Erza had this stupid face on. She called him 'Jellal.'"

Mira whirled around this time. What? "Explain."

Laxus sighed. "I don't really know who this 'Jellal' person is, but I guess Mystogan looks like him. She looked…pretty shaken up."

"Did Mystogan say anything?" Mira's mind was reeling from the new information.

"He said something along the lines of, 'I know who Jellal is but I'm not him,' and, 'I especially didn't want you to see this face,' or something like that." Laxus threw his hand up in the air. "I honestly had no idea what was going on but Natsu seemed to know a bit." He turned around. "Well, I'm leaving now. I guess I'll—," he trailed off. They didn't know if they were going to see each other again, considering they haven't seen Ivan since he was banished.

She walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sure Master will let you come back soon." She smiled at the back of his head, knowing he wouldn't turn around. "I'll see you when you get back and the rest of the guild will be waiting for your return."

They stood there in silence, before shrugged off her hand. "Yeah, see ya soon."

She turned back to what she was doing, but not before hearing what Laxus softly said.

"Keep Mystogan away from Erza. I won't be there to shock her back to her senses anymore."

-A Study in Scarlet-

The party was in full swing.

The guild was celebrating the induction of Wendy and Charle into the guild. No one was really surprised that they had brought back someone to join the guild. It was expected that they would be getting a new member. There were even several bets going around on what type of person the new guild member would be. Funnily enough, no one was even remotely close. The money ended up being used to fund this party. After everyone had heard about what had happened with Cait Shelter, they were all in tears. It only justified the need for a party which was why everyone was in happy spirits and everyone was genuinely happy that their guild was getting bigger.

Well, almost everyone was happy.

Mira noticed four people who weren't as happy as they usually were. Natsu was unusually quiet when he came in, but that was quickly remedied by picking a fight with a random guild member. Gray was quiet as well, which was normal, but he hadn't paid attention to anything anyone said until Natsu threw a chair at him and started a fight. Lucy had mainly stayed near Levy and, on occasion, would throw a sad glance at Erza. And Erza…

From all appearances, Erza was normal. But Mira had known Erza for a quite a while and knew that there was something on her mind. She had overheard Erza talking to Bisca and Alzack, telling them to treasure the moments they had with each other so they would avoid regret. She had giggled at the matching blushes that Bisca and Alzack had sported afterward, but not before noting the slight crack in Erza's voice when she had told them that.

Something big had occurred on this mission and Mira had to find out what exactly went down.

She walked over to where Levy and Lucy were, the two of them chatting about the latest book they had read. They both looked up when Mira had gotten to their table. Levy greeted her cheerfully but Lucy seemed to know the reason why Mira had decided to come over.

Lucy got up from the table and turned to Levy, "We'll have to continue this later, Levy. I forgot I had to tell Mira something." She waved good-bye.

"Okay, Lucy!" Levy waved back, oblivious to the serious conversation that Lucy and Mira were about to have, and went to find Jet and Droy.

Mira and Lucy headed over to the bar, which was surprisingly quiet. Everyone had decided to party around Wendy, near the center of the guild. Mira decided not to stand behind the bar and instead chose to sit on the barstool next to Lucy's. She waited for Lucy to start speaking.

"I don't think I can help you matchmake Erza anymore."

Mira was shocked. She was not expecting the conversation to start like this, but there had to be an explanation for that statement. "What exactly happened on this mission, Lucy?"

Lucy looked down at her hands on her lap. "We had met up with the other guilds for the alliance, but we were swiftly taken down when we were attacked by the Oracion Seis. They had poisoned Erza and taken Wendy." Lucy turned to face Mira. "Charle said the only way to heal Erza was to get Wendy back so everyone went off looking for Wendy while Hibiki and I stayed behind with Erza. From what I remember, Natsu had found Wendy first. When he got there, she had already revived Jellal."

Revived? "So he wasn't dead?"

Lucy shook her head. "Just Etherion poisoning or something. Natsu was furious but he couldn't do anything as Jellal had already left. He brought Wendy to us just in time and we were able to save Erza. During our face-off with the Oracion Seis, she was the only one who could land a hit on any of them." They both smiled at the strength of their friend. "Wendy was truly sorry that she revived him. Apparently he had saved her when she was a kid, which seems strange considering what Erza told us about him back at the Tower of Heaven. But Erza had overheard us talking about him and went off looking for him. Most of us had split up by that point and had our own battles. Oh, Mira!" Lucy had an excited gleam in her eye. "I got new zodiac keys!" She showed Mira her Aries, Scorpio, and Gemini keys.

"Lucy, I'm so happy for you! You almost have all twelve now."

"Yeah." Lucy put the keys away. "Mom would be proud." She gently patted her keys. "We didn't all meet up until after defeating Nirvana. That's when we met Jellal."

"Was he still…evil?"

"No. Actually, he helped us. I think we met the Jellal that Erza met all those years ago. He had amnesia. He kept to himself. Stayed away from us. I guess he was worried we would start attacking him. Probably because of Natsu." They both laughed. "Erza went over to talk to them, probably to thank him for his help. I think they were…going to have a moment, too. But the Rune Knights came to arrest him."

"The Rune Knights? What were they doing there?" Mira hadn't known that the Rune Knights were getting involved.

"I don't really know. They arrested Jellal though. Natsu started attacking the Rune Knights and we all did, too. Except Erza. Actually, Erza was the one who told us all to stop fighting and she let the Rune Knights take him away." Lucy frowned at the memory.

Mira furrowed her eyes in confusion. "I thought, of all people, _Erza_ would've stopped the Rune Knights. I don't understand." She clenched her fists.

"We didn't either. You might have to ask Erza later. He said something strange to Erza before he was taken away though."

"What was it?"

"He said, 'It was the color of your hair.' It meant something to Erza. Afterwards, she walked to a hill and sat there by herself, crying." They were both silent, as there hadn't been many instances, that they could recall, of Erza crying. "Something good came out of it though." Lucy turned to where Wendy was, who was giggling at the antics of some drunk Fairy Tail members. "Erza was the one who suggested that Wendy join Fairy Tail." They laughed when Erza started beating the drunk members and scolding them for their behavior around Wendy.

Lucy faced Mira. "I really am sorry, Mira, that I can't help you with your matchmaking. You have to understand why I can't. You didn't see how Erza looked after he was taken away. I can't imagine trying to match her with someone else."

Mira kept her eyes on Erza and Wendy. "Don't worry, Lucy. I completely understand. I don't think I could match her with anyone besides him anyway."

-A Study in Scarlet-

Mira was in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on a strawberry cake. She had made it after her conversation with Lucy and was about to bring a slice to Erza outside when Erza walked into the kitchen.

"Hi, Erza! Want some cake?"

Shockingly, Erza declined. "Not right now, Mira." Erza glanced around the kitchen, looking for nothing in particular.

"Is everything okay?" Mira slowly approached Erza, genuinely concerned for her. She had never known Erza to refuse cake before.

Erza took several deep breaths before answering. "I saw you talking to Lucy and I guess she told you everything that happened."

"She told me what she knew. I do have some questions that I think only you can answer."

"Ask away, Mira."

Mira unleashed all the anger she had had when she heard that Erza told the Rune Knights to take Jellal away. "How could you have let them take him away, Erza?!" Mira shouted. The party outside was still going strong and no one would be able to hear them shouting at each other.

"W-what are you talking about, Mira? He committed crimes and—" Erza was starting to shake now, but Mira didn't know if it was from anger.

"All that talk about nakama and you didn't even save him from the Rune Knights. I thought I knew you, Erza. Out of all people, _you_ would have done what was right and—"

"That's exactly it!" Erza shouted back, tears threatening to escape from her eyes. "I did what was _right_." Erza softly said. "How could you even think that I would be okay with that decision." Mira felt all the anger escape from her as she watched Erza rest her back against the wall and slide down. She walked over and plopped down next to Erza and waited for Erza to explain her decision.

They sat in silence for several minutes before Erza opened her mouth to reply. "I wanted, more than _anything_, to stay by his side, you have to understand that." She waited for Mira to nod before continuing. "But I knew, he wouldn't be happy. Not with Rune Knights after him. We'd be on the run and he would be filled with so much guilt. Knowing that he's done horrible things, and not being punished for it, the guilt would eat away at him. He has this incredible sense of justice. It's what I…admired about him."

Mira didn't want to bring it up, but she had to in order to understand Erza, and her relationship with Jellal, better. "Lucy said he told you something before he was taken away."

Erza gave a shaky sigh. "When he was revived, he got amnesia. I met up with him first and all he remembered was my name. I thought it was strange. Why would he remember my name and not remember his own?" Erza began twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. "Before they left with him, he turned to me, as if remembering something, and said, 'It was the color of your hair.'" She turned to Mira. "Do you remember, during our many fights, you asked why my last name was 'Scarlet'? Why it was the same as the-"

"—Color of your hair." Mira finished, astonished.

Erza nodded. "Back at the Tower, everyone was introducing themselves with their full name. I didn't have, or remember, what my last name was. He came over and said my hair color was really pretty." Erza smiled at the memory and touched her hair. "He said he would name me Erza Scarlet, because it was the color of my hair. And so he would never—" A lone tear trailed down Erza's face. She whispered, "never forget it."

Mira put her arms around Erza and wrapped her into a hug. Mira could feel that she was very close to crying as well, but she needed to be strong for Erza. Erza, who had been through so much and deserved happiness. Mira decided it really wasn't fair and would do whatever she could to make Erza happy. Like when Erza had comforted her after Lisanna's death. They were friends first. The rivalry was just a bonus.

"I know what you've been having Lucy do."

They broke apart. Mira feigned ignorance, but agreed to go with the change in subject. "I have no idea what you could possibly mean, Erza."

"Lucy wasn't exactly subtle when she was pointing out guys and wondering if I liked them whenever we were on missions."

Mira sighed while Erza laughed at her expression. "I really need to give her some lessons on matchmaking," Mira muttered. She looked at Erza, "You're not mad that I've been trying to matchmake you?"

"Not really. Though you can be a bit…_forceful_. I know you have my best interests at heart."

"I'm not trying to matchmake you anymore. Lucy isn't either. We both agreed that after everything that's happened—"

Erza cut her off. "Thank you, Mira."

"There isn't going to be anyone else for you, is there?" Mira hesitantly asked. She already knew Erza's answer.

"No." Erza looked up at the ceiling, "No one could compare to him."

They sat in silence. They could hear the party outside, both deciding that it would be a while before they could return to the party.

"Mira?"

"Hmm?"

"I'd like some of that cake now."

Mira laughed. "Sure." She got up and walked toward where the cake was sitting on the counter. "I hope you don't mind, but I think I'll be having a slice, too."

* * *

A/N: Okay, I am so so sorry that's it taken me over four months to give you guys this second chapter. Hopefully, the final chapter won't take so long. It's the GMG arc so that means we get some Jellal and Fairy Tail Team B interactions! As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I would love to hear some of your feedback.


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